<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Walking the World With You by aiviloti</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23232766">Walking the World With You</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/aiviloti/pseuds/aiviloti'>aiviloti</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Banana Fish (Anime &amp; Manga)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Fluff, M/M, Travel</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2019-01-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2019-01-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 12:42:06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,540</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23232766</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/aiviloti/pseuds/aiviloti</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Basically, Ash and Eiji go travel the world! (Read: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)</p><p>“What are you planning? You have that kind of ‘I’m planning something that I’m not going to tell you about’ look.”</p><p>Indignantly, Eiji caught Ash’s arm and poked back at him. “What even is a ‘I’m planning something that I’m not going to to tell you about’ look? I don’t have that kind of expression ever.”</p><p>“Yes you do. That look appears when you’re planning something you’re not gonna tell me about.”</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ash Lynx/Okumura Eiji</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>45</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Walking the World With You</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  
  <span>Ash was not going to complain about getting to spend his time with Eiji, but for the 5th time in the three days since they arrived, he couldn’t help but question the decision once again.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Eiji?” he asked, his blonde hair getting caught in the wind as the two whisked off on a motorcycle, with Eiji driving and Ash as the passenger.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Yeah?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why are we here again?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You need to speak up, Ash. I can’t hear you from the wind.”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“I asked,” Ash raised his voice. “Why are we here in this place out of all places in the entire world? It’s so hot here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That was probably the understatement of the year. Malaysia was certainly not your regular hot place, and describing as a literal pit of fire would have been far more accurate, at least that’s what Ash believed. Missing the equator by less than 4 degrees North, it was your typical tropical country. Rain may be a frequent visitor, but Ash wasn’t sure he preferred the aggressive thunderstorms anymore than the heat.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Some sunshine would do you good, sunshine.” Ash may not have been able to see Eiji’s face on the motorcycle, but he could basically hear the grin from Eiji’s cheerful tone.</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>The trip was something that Eiji sprang out at him only a few days ago without any prior notice.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Ash was hunched at the couch, his eyebrows furrowed as he scrolled on his laptop, when Eiji took him by surprise. Tossing a calendar at him, that he caught mid-air in ease, Eiji sat himself down right next to Ash and asked, “I need you to point out when you are free. Like a whole week kind of free, not like 3 hours on the 17th or anything of the sort.”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“What’s this for?”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“You’ll see.”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Ash ran his eyes through the calendar, lips pursed as he tried to decide on a date. “There,” he pointed to the calendar after a moment, swiping his fingers on the surface that displayed the entire week. “The 6th of July to the 13th of July.” Turning around to face Eiji, he poked Eiji in the shoulder who had a familiar look on his face. “What are you planning? You have that kind of ‘I’m planning something that I’m not going to tell you about’ look.”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Indignantly, Eiji caught Ash’s arm and poked back at him. “What even is a ‘I’m planning something that I’m not going to to tell you about’ look? I don’t have that kind of expression ever.”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Yes you do. That look appears when you’re planning something you’re not gonna tell me about.”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“I don’t plan things with intentions to not tell you about it!”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Like that time you bought 24 boxes of cereal in one go?”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“That was-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And that time you ditched all our decorative fake plants and replaced them with real ones?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You like the plants, don’t even deny it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And that one time you-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay okay, fine. I get your point. Jeez, I just wanted to plan a trip and have it be a surprise for you.” Pouting, Eiji added, “You don’t have to be so aggressive about things, y’know? It just looked like you’ve been brooding about god knows what recently and I thought a trip somewhere would be a good idea to help you destress, or something.”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>At that, Ash wouldn’t be surprised if he instantaneously melted into a puddle of warm goo.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You could have just told me, and I’d go anywhere if it’s with you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Look, when I said I would go anywhere with you, I didn’t know that was an agreement to Malaysia,” Ash huffed as he dragged the suitcases behind him, trekking across the airport to reach his terminal, with Eiji following close behind him.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Why not? Malaysia is a fantastic place! Everyone says so!”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Who’s everyone?” </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Max and Jessica! The entire family went there some time back and I thought it’d be a good place for you.”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>As they walked along the airport, many planes that were taking off or soaring across the horizon could be seen from the glass panes of the airport. All sorts of people weaved across the airport, some dressed up professionally, some gently pulling a sulky toddler along, and some simply looked excited to be there, or wherever they were heading. It may have been a pretty sight, with the fast paced atmosphere, but frankly Ash was just worried Eiji would get lost in the crowd, the two separated from each other. Still, everytime he turned his back to check, Eiji would still be there, keeping up with Ash’s swift movements.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>It was a kind of comfort to find him always there, with only a small distance between the two. Given what he had been through, it didn’t come as a surprise that Ash would be worried about leaving things he cared about behind. Faster than the average at all sorts of skills, Ash regularly found himself waiting for everyone else, to keep up, to follow. But with Eiji, his thoughts did not had to be portrayed verbally to get across. The two were so synchronised that whatever they did, it just felt natural, at a tempo that was neither too fast nor too slow, but just right.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Upon reaching the waiting hall, they settled down to find a seat. Being there a bit too unnecessarily early due to Eiji’s “flight missing anxiety”, they found themselves left with more than 2 hours or so. Ash began to read, as there was a new book recommendation from Blanca from some time back that he never got a chance to read. As for Eiji, maybe it was due to the intensive planning of a completely foreign country that proved to be demanding, but within a matter of seconds he was fast asleep, his head on Ash’s shoulder.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Ash never remembered sitting more straighter and stiffer than that two hours in his entire life.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Having grown up in New York for Ash, and Tokyo from Eiji, not to mention having visited California and its many cities various times, they didn’t think they would be surprised by the city view of Kuala Lumpur, but still, the architecture was interesting, if not completely stunning.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“That’s so cool,” Eiji marveled. “I’ve only seen it from pictures, but now that we’re here I can see why people describe it as two joined corn cobs.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before them was the Petronas Twin Tower, one of the most famous landmarks in Malaysia as well as one of the tallest buildings around. A linking bridge between the two buildings was present, providing a lovely view of the entire city centre, with all its busy streets, and vibrant tropical atmosphere.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Of course Eiji wanted to go.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Surely you’re not planning to come all the way here and then not visit the one place that stands out the most,” Eiji asked in horror when Ash looked unexcited.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“I don’t like crowded places, and I’m sure it’s nothing spectacular. Whatever we can see up there, we can see here too, and its bigger. Besides, it’s just some regular building. We get a nice city view from our apartment anyway.”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>There was no fault in Ash’s logic, but his words began to falter when Eiji let out a disappointed look. Hastily, he added, “But of course, we can go if you want. It’s no big deal.”</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>Dear Diary,</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>It’s our first day in Malaysia and I’m enjoying my time here very much! I’m going to document everything we do so that I don’t forget any moment with Ash.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>The plane ride was very tiring, as Malaysia is certainly very far away from America, but Ash and I talked a lot on the plane ride, watched 2 movies and got some sleep. So altogether I would say it’s not that bad.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>We’re in a city called Kuala Lumpur, which is the capital of Malaysia. It’s pretty much what your average busy city would be, but very, very hot. Malaysia is really hot, though by being so close to the equator that’s kind of expected. The heat hasn’t got to me yet, but Ash looks really bothered by it. I hope it doesn’t ruin the trip for him, though. Fingers crossed!</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>We dropped off our things at a hotel first, since it’s really troublesome to lug two suitcases around. Thank lord the staff spoke to us in English, because many people have tried speaking Chinese to me thus far, which is horrifying. Ash isn’t helping, because he’s just laughing at my mortification everytime. Not funny, Ash.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>The Petronas Twin Tower was our next stop. Ash didn’t feel very keen at first but he gave in, and I’m glad he did. The view is spectacular, overlooking the entirety of Kuala Lumpur. The streets are busy, with cars zooming by and people running around. The buildings don’t look particularly well arranged, but the mixture of all the different heights and colours makes the entire city more vibrant somehow. There are tuffs of green, some hills, some simply a cluster of trees, that stand between the buildings. </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>I say I love cities, but Ash doesn’t always agree. He thinks the country is much more peaceful and lively, because the the busy hum of the city drains the life out of all of those who live there who work for it. But I think, maybe he hasn’t visited much cities apart from Tokyo and New York. It’s so different from Tokyo and New York here though, and I think those patches of green that line the lands is what gives this city life. </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Ash was mesmerized, quietly staring at the city from the linking bridge. I glad I insisted on coming even though he wasn’t so keen at first.  I took some shots of him, but I don’t think they were very well taken. I’m still gonna print these out once I get home! </span>
  <span>One can never have too many pictures of Ash.</span>
  <span> The employees there also helped us take some shots together. I’m satisfied!</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>So we went and got lunch after that, eating some typical Malaysian food that translated to “Oil Rice”. It doesn’t sound very healthy, but it was very good! It looks really plain, with only white rice, cucumbers, a boiled egg, some peanuts and anchovies. But I guess the locals have some secret to making something with such plain ingredients good huh? There’s also this milk tea they call “Teh Tarik”, which roughly translates to pull tea? It sounds very confusing, but if you were to see a demonstration of how they create this tea, it makes a lot more sense! Ash ordered something called “Cham”, which is essentially a way of mixing up coffee and tea. It sounds terrible, but trust me, or trust Ash really, it’s good. 13/10 would recommend.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>We visited the central market today! It sold many kinds of things, but most of them were either souvenirs with “I love Malaysia” plastered all over them(for the tourists, I assume) or eateries.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>There are so many kinds of exotic cookies I have never seen, and because of how these shopkeepers let us try a few (a conspiracy to goad us to buy :00 ), we end up wanting all of them. That’s some solid marketing over there, so good job, central market shopkeepers. We began ate as we bought, and kind of ended up in a competition to see who could stuff more cookies in our mouths in a go. Granted, it was hilarious, but I believe everyone (the shopkeepers and other people) was extremely bewildered by the sight of a caucasian and some scrawny Asian chattering, holding hands, and then proceeding to stuff a load of cookies in their mouths. Heck, I would have been bewildered.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>One interesting thing I found was that the souvenirs that consisted of keychains, handheld fans, and T-shirts and traditional playthings. There was this kite I really liked, because it was so uniquely shaped. I showed it to Ash, and he said it looked really fragile. Since we are planning to visit some other places in Malaysia, it probably wasn’t a brilliant idea to get something that easily torn and drag it across the country with us, so we agreed to come back here! </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Something interesting about the souvenirs was how despite being from different stalls, they all looked roughly the same, with little variation. But what’s good about that is how it was a competition between the stalls for a cheaper price, so Ash and I was able to grab many keychains for Alex and the rest of the gang. Ash took a long time choosing those keychains, and instead of grabbing them at random like most people probably would have, he took time to pick them out one by one, picking them based off everyone’s personalities and what they liked. </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Honestly, it’s these intimate moments I realise I love him even more than I thought I could, but I’m not here to talk about Ash because I really am tired, and if I began to talk about him I don’t think I could stop. </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Be right back I think I need to go give him a hug before I combust.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Update: I think Ash combusted instead.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Anyway, things later on wasn’t that eventful, as we were both really tired. We had dinner at the hotel, then here I am! I’ll see you tomorrow!</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>They had dinner relatively early, and by 8, Ash and Eiji were already in the hotel room. As Eiji ran off to write his diary, or something, Ash began to clear out their haul of the day, that mainly consisted of stuff for their friends, and a huge pile of junk food. He never knew Eiji had such a tremendous fondness for junk food. Eiji’s eyes lit up when he saw things he liked, and he practically blinded Ash at the sight of all the junk food at the centre market.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>He’d have take a million shots of Eiji if he weren’t too busy looking fondly at him.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Yo!” A voice came from behind.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Ash turned around, only to be greeted with the clicking sound of a camera. “What was that for?”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Eiji shrugged. “I have a gallery called ‘Ash and his lost-in-thought look’. You were lost in thought, I took a shot,” he said in a matter-of-factly tone.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>He sat down next to Ash, holding up one of the wooden dolls they bought. “This kind of reminds me of Skip.” The doll had dark curly hair, just as he did. </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Smiling, Ash said, “Yeah, it does. I got this because of the same reason. I wonder if he’s doing alright, wherever he is.”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Every now and then, the sorrow from the series of events from the previous year would hit them like a train, but things were got easier, and easier to deal with. It still hurted, and presumably always would but…</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Slinging an arm over Ash and wrapping him in an embrace, he gently said, “I’m sure he will be. Him and Shorter, they’ll all be fine.”</span>
  <span></span><br/>
<span><br/>
</span>
  <span>It was going to be okay, because they had each other. The situation was far from perfect, but it was enough.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Wrote this a part of a commission two years ago but we shook on it and decided to ah, move on. But if you're really digging the Asheji lmk and I'll see if I still have it in me two years later to work on the rest of the trip??? </p><p>¯\_(ツ)_/¯</p><p>Happy quarantine (if like me, you are) and maybe you shall live vicariously through traveling fics.</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>